The invention relates to the field of garments and in particular to a hospital-type of garment designed to be worn by those patients who need help in moving about and as such the garment is designed to allow hospital personnel to help lift and transport the patient by means of handles and such on the sides of the garment.
It is believed that patients who are paraplegics, quadriplegics and others sort of non ambulatory patients will benefit greatly by a garment that can be worn by them and will allow them to be safely transported by use of handles on the sides of the garment. While it is believed that the device will find its greatest use in hospital settings it is also possible that it can be used to transport patients from accident sites, especially where the patient may be in a remote area and the patient needs to be lifted out of say a valley or a gorge.
Such a garment is thought to be useful inasmuch as both those who are unable to move on their own and those hospital personnel who are in charge of moving such patients will be have a means to facilitate movement that is both safe for the patient and easy for the hospital worker. For the patient, the idea of a garment that holds them in while they are being closely is believed to alleviate fears they may have of being dropped and such during transport.
The device is also thought to be useful to caregivers who suffer from backstrain and the like due to the burdens of lifting patients that are placed upon them. By making adequate use of the handholds provided by this invention, such caregivers can be in a better position to lift and transport such patients and so reduce the number of injuries resulting from such transport. The use of straps going across the front and rear of the patient provides for additional means for the care givers to place their hands and so stabilize patients. This may be of additional use in cases where the patient does not have control of his/her upper body. In such cases, the use of the straps allows for three or more people to take part in the transport operation.